Genetically modified foods, as those produced by Monsanto, propose a significant risk to the ecosystem. A study conducted in the United Kingdom concluded that the use of genetically modified crops decreases biodiversity, especially on the farm environment (The Guardian Newspaper). With these GMOs we have a seen an exponential growth of “super-pests” that resist the chemicals that were used originally on both insect and plant pests, resulting in more toxic chemicals and more money for Monsanto.
What can we do to combat health dangers, ecological dangers, economic dangers, and greed from corporations that sell GMO? Buy local, organic foods. If it is certified organic, then it does not contain genetically modified anything. In doing this, we effectively boycott Monsanto. One of the other biggest things we can do is take political action. Vote out the politicians that put Monsanto into governmental positions. (The Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations all appointed an official from Monsanto into FDA leadership positions. Conflict of interest much? Yep.) The most important thing we can do is know that power to make the choices we make are within us, no matter how big a corporation.
“The idea that any corporation
could own a food crop is a very new idea. It wasn't until the 1980s that the Supreme Court said you could patent life. And that opened the floodgates-- efforts to patent the most valuable parts of life, which is to say the crops on which we depend.”- Michael Pollan